Key for securing railway or like rails in their supporting-chairs.



G. lF. WILLIAMSON. KEY FOR SECURING RAILWAY 0R LIKE RAILS IN THEIR SUPPORTING CHAIRS.

APP

LLILIK Il l LICATION FILED APR24| I9I6.

KL a c :tra: cu.. Iuamuma.. wnsm G. F. WILLIAMSON. KEY FOR SECURING RAILWAY 0R LIKE RAILS IN THEIR SUPPORTING CHAIRS.

, APPLICATION FILED APR.24. |916. 1 ,1 99,1 39, Patented Sept. 26,1916.

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G. F. WILLIAMSON.

KEY FOR SECURING RAILWAY 0R LIKE RAILS IN THEIR SUPPORTING CHAIRS.

l a. Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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Y 'GEORGE FREDERICK WILLIAMSON, OF MIDLAND FOUNDRY, WELLINGBOROUGH,

ENGLAND. i

KEY FOB. SECURING RAILXVAY OR LIKE RAILS IN THEIR SUPPORTINGCHAIRS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 24, 1916. Serial No. 93,283.

b all /w/Lom t may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE FREDERioK IVILLLxMsoN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Midland Foundry, lii/vellingborough, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Keys for Securing Railway or like Rails in Their Supporting-Chairs, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention for improvements inV keys for securing railway or like rails in their supporting chairs relates to metal chair-keys with expanding or tightening wedges and has for its object to provide an improved key of this type that shall be simple in construction and capable of being easily inserted and firmly secured in position between the chair jaw and web of the rail.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wedge which whenv driven hori- Zontally into the key shall be self-locking and shall expand the key against the rail and chair jaw causing the key to exert a permanent or sustained pressure or grip on the rail, thus avoiding the so-called rail creeping and other troubles caused by keys working loose or in the case of metal keys, retaining a permanent set.

IVith the above objects in view, I construct the l improved metal key of tubular form preferably with a longitudinal slit to allow of expansion or contraction and I provide inside the key horizontal guides extending longitudinally thereof for receiving the eX- panding wedge which is driven horizontally along the guides in the key and produces a lateral expansion of the key. Means are also provided in the key to bend or distort portions of the wedge as it is driven so as to prevent its ready withdrawal or in other words, lock it in position. In use, the key is inserted in a similar manner to the wooden key between the chair jaw and web of the rail, being preferably shaped to bear against the head and foot of the rail.

The invention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying three sheets of illustrative drawings containing eleven figures, in which the reference letters have the same signification throughout.

Figure l is a transverse section taken through a permanent way rail adjacent the rail chair, illustrating in end elevation a rail chair with a metal chair key and wedge constructed according to this invention in position between the chair jaw and rail.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the rail chair and a portion of the rail with the improved chair-key and wedge in position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts illustrated in Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional plan taken along the line 3 3 Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a separate plan view of the expanding or tightening wedge.I Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the chair key illustrating the opposite end to that shown in Fig. l. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section ogf the chair key. Fig. S is a transverse section taken through the rail and the outer jaw of a rail chair and illustrating in end elevation a slightly modified form of key. Fig. 9 is ahorizontal section Patented Sept. 2S, i'i.

taken through the rail web and outer chair jaw illustrating in plan the modified form of key shown in Fig. S. Fig. 10 is a sectional plan illustrating portions of a rail, a chair which is narrow between the aws and a further modiiied form of key applicable to such a chair. Fig. 11 is a separate view of the wedge used with the type of key illustrated in Fig. 10.

Referring to Figs. l to 7, the improved key a as shown is tubular or hollow, similar in shape externally to the ordinary wooden key but shorter in length, and slit longitudinally at Z) along the center' of the crown or Vupper wall. In the interior of the hollow key, longitudinal guide ribs c are cast or formed in pairs and constitute opposite guide-ways inside the key, said guide-ways being located at half the depth of the key or thereabout and serving to guide and retain the expanding wedge Z in position. By suitably thickening the walls of the key the guide ways are made slightly convergent from the inlet or driving end of the key to the opposite end. Strengthening ribs o1 may be cast at intervals in the length of the key and preferably run transversely from the guide ribs c gradually merging into the wall of the key. At the far end of the guide-ways in the key, deflecting guide pieces o2 are provided which form a continuation o-f the guide-ways c said guides 02 having curved slots c3 clearly shown in Fig. t for a purpose hereinafter described.y

A suitable material from which the key may be manufactured is malleable cast iron, but steel, semi-steel or other metals may be employed. The key is driven in between the web of the rail and the chair before the wedge is driven home into the key, the slot .7) aifordin g or giving suiiicient resiliency for this purpose.

The wedge Z is formed of a steel plate oi suflieieiit width to extend across the key and fit between the guide-ways inside, and of a length greater than the length of the key, the wedge being slit longitudinally' i'roni one end to forni a pair of side prongs e c with a central extension or prong f between tliein which after the wedge is driven heine is arranged to project a suiicient distance beyond the end of the key so that it can be easily hit with a hannner or other tool when it is desired to release the wedge and thereby allow the rail key-to be witlnlrawn. As the wedge is driven in the key the prongs c are bent or distorted by the guide pieces c2 to secure the key in position, while the central extension t' Vof the wedge passes thi-ou gli a straight slot ct between the guides c2. As the key is slit along the top its sides are iorced apart by the driving in oit the wedge which is suitably tapered and cooperates with the suitably tapered guideways.

ln order to iinpart resiliency to the wedge (Z, it inay be arched or cainbered transversely along' the solid portion thereof.

The key c is preferably cast with ribs or enlargements g at the ends on the chair side to engage the end faces of the chair jaw 7L, when the key is fixed in position and thus prevent longitudinal niovenient of the key. ln the inoditied forni of construction sliov 1n in Figs. 8 and 9, a longitudinal shoulder or projection i is cast on the chair jaw side of the key and the chair jaw /t has a rabbeted recess formed thereinv at its upper edge to receive said projection, which tornis an additional support for the key against lateral stresses. The key is also niade with a solid crown for .the greater part of its length, but preferably slotted near the ends as shown at Z) Z).

n the inodii'ied form of key shown in Figs. l0 and l1 which is applicable to a cliair with narrow jaws, the key is forni-ed with only two slots ci, the slot which corresponds to the central slot in tlie other foi-ins being in this case curved in a siinilar manner to the slot c3. i-i wedge for use with this key as illustrated in Fig. il has two prongs e both of 'which are bent in the Cepies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti@- curved slots when the wedge is driven in to lock the wedge in position. The larger prong j' also projects beyond the end of the key so that it caribe hit with a tool torelease the wedge.

ln the different forms or' key described the walls are inade suiliciently thick to give the required strength without depriving the key of the necessary resiliency to allow of expansion and the thickness of diii'erent lparts of the key may be varied to enable it to present at all points adequate resistance to compression stresses.

W hat l claiin and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. An iiiiproved metal key with expandingV wedge i'or securing railway or like rails in their supporting chairs consisting `of a tubular key adapted` to tit in the space .formed between the chair jaw and the rail l and be expanded by a wedge driven between guides foi-ined inside the key.

An improved metal key with expanding wedge for securing railway or like rails in their supporting chairs, consisting of a tubular inetal key split longitudinally along the crown or upper wall and provided internally with horizontal guide ribs for guiding the expanding wedge, and means for bending portions of the wedge as it is driven to secure the saine in position.

3. An improved nietal key with expand.- ing wedge ior securing railway or like rails in their supporting chairs consistingk of a tubular nietal key split longitudinally along the crown or upper wall and provided internally with horizontal guide ribs for guiding the expanding wedge and a bend.-

able locking prong and a driving out prong.

on said wedge, substantially as described.

An iinproved metal key with a multipronged expanding wedge for securing railway or like rails in Atheir supporting chairs,` consisting of a tubular metal key, split longitudinally along the crown or upper wall and provided internally with horizontal guide ribs Jor guiding the expanding wedge, said guides having terniinal straight and curved guides for guiding and securing said expanding wedge, substantially as described. ln testimony whereo'll I have ailixedfiny signature.

GEORGE FREDERICK AllTIIiLIlllSOlV.4

Washington, D. C. 

